The Washington critic., 1887-07-26
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

ful memory, and his head Is filled with
Information. I remember one time
when he was very sick. 1t was during
the Franco. Prussian war, and the
navy had not come as strongly to the
support OF the French Government as
1t should have done. l spoke Of this
to Turpie, and he replied that 1t was
not strange, as this had been the his.
tory of the navy In the past. lie then
went on and recited precedent after
precedent, giving names and dates and
covering long period of time. was
much surprised, for 1 didn't suppose
that Turpie had done any reading on
this subject for dozen years. That
night determined to see II his state.
ments were correct. took down my
histories and encyclopedias and looked
up the matter from notes which had
jotted down during his conversation.
He was right to the very name and date.
i think he reads q good deal, and
everything he reads seems to stick
to him. He has curious habits of
reading. Ho becomes absorbed In
his book, and the moment he
reaches point which he wishes to
fix In his mind he puts his book down
and begins to walk up and down the
floor with his head bent over. In a
few moments he Will again take up his
book, but after such time you eau
never dislodge the thought he has been
trying to fix from his memory. He Is
great fellow to become absorbed In his
reading. He has often come into my
room of an evening and, merely saying
good night, taken up book, sat down
and read for whole evening without
speaking a word. have often gone to
bed and left him reading. When he
got through he would turn out the
light and 60 away as quickly as he
came. lie Is fond of music, and
have seen him absorbed for whole
evening by some one singing or play.
ing. He likes whist and is pretty fair
player, though he grows testy when the
luck turns against him for any length
of time. Judge Turpie Is worth about
$4,000. lie made this In land speou.
lation In northern Indiana some years
ago. He Is not money maker, nor is
he much of money spender as rule.
He dresses very plainly, and his Office
furniture, all told, would not bring $50
at auction. He does not care much for
his personal appearance, and he wastes
very little time before the looking.
glass. He has been married twice and
isnow widower.
~.
"What Is to become Of Senator Har.
rison?" asked Carpenter. "Well, he
Is now practicing law here in Indian.
apolis. He has a good practice, q
comfortable home, and he is worth
about $4,000. lie has made his own
money and he is much thought of here.
In case he does not get place on the
National Republican ticket as Presi.
dent or Vice President, he may be nomi-
mated for Governor, and there Is talk OF
this now. One of Harrison's greatest
troubles is his forgetfulness and his alb.
sent mindedness. He is broad gauge
man, but he Is not good mixer, and
when he is thinking deeply about some.
thing, as he often does when he walks
along the streets, he is apt to pass by
his friends without noticing them.
This fact has been the ground for the
charge that he is icy and aristocratic,
when he Is neither"
~
Says Charles Dudley Warner In
Harper for August "The diary Is
greatly relied on by the writer's Of his
tory, but the Drawer doubts If there Is
any such liar In the world, even when
the keeper of 1t is honest. 1t Is certain
TO be partisan, and more liable to be
misinformed than newspaper, which
exercises some care In view of imme
diatc publicity. The writer happens
to know of two diaries which record.
on the testimony of eye.witnesses, the
circumstances Of the last hours of Gar
field, and they differ utterly In essential
particulars. One of these may turn up
fifty years from now, and be accepted
as true. An infinite amount of gossip
goes into diaries about men and wome n
that would not stand the test of
q moments contemporary publ
cation. Bat by.and.by 1t may
all be used to smirch or brighten
unjustly some ones character. Sup
pose man In the Army of the Potomac
had recorded daily all his opinions of
men and of events. Reading 1t over now.
with more light and juster knowl
edge of character and of measures, Is 1t
not probable that he would find 1t q
tissue of misconceptions Few things
are actually what they seem to-day;
they are colored both by misapprehen-
sions and by moods. If man writes
letter or makes report of an occur
renee for immediate publication, sub.
ject to universal criticism, there is
some restraint on him. In his private
letter, or diary especially, he Is apt to
set down what comes into his head at
the moment, often without much effort
at verlflcation."
~
When the board of directors of the
st. Cloud State Reformatory were
making their recent tour of examina.
ton, says the st. Cloud (AIinn.) journal,
they stopped at the rcformatory at In
dianapolis, and were entertained by the
wife of the late Vice. President Hen.
bricks and other ladies'. When the
party sat down Mt the table Mrs. Hen
bricks said: "Will one of our friends
ask blessing?' A silence that
weighed ten tons to the square inch
fell on the company and rested
there. Brother Cole, Brother
Cooper, Brother Meyers, Brother Bar.
rett, Brother Griswold and Brother
Holland all sat with bowed heads,
scarcely drawing their breath. 1t
seemed an hour, but was not probably
quite so long as that, when the other
five heads slowly rose and five pairs OF
eyes rested dospairingly on Chairman
Cole. The pressure was too great, and
the eminent lawyer, gasping out; "For
Observation-Disclosures be thankful,
amen" had n new experience in his
lite, and the chasm between the com
pany and their dinner was safely
bridged.